Wind turbines are a net positive for a sustainable society, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an environmental impact. Apart from their material requirements, those giant, spinning blades can be lethal to unsuspecting winged animals like birds and bats. Although some reports dramatically overplay wind farms’ danger to flying species, there is no denying they can unintentionally kill anywhere from two-to-six birds and four-to-seven bats per megawatt every year. That may not seem like many fatalities, but every animal counts for an endangered species.

To lower these risks, engineers are devising new ways to make wind turbines more visible and avoidable. One potential solution may involve taking a cue from some of nature’s most dangerous creatures. According to a study published in the journal Behavioral Ecology, more bats and birds will steer clear of wind turbines when their blades are painted with colors similar to animals like venomous coral snakes and poison dart frogs.

“White blades, which are the most frequently used pattern around the world, turned out to be the worst option for birds,” Johanna Mappes, a University of Helsinki environmental scientist and study co-author, said in a statement. “This suggests that a relatively simple visual change could reduce bird mortality in connection with wind power.”

To test how birds respond to various turbine designs, Mappes and her colleagues placed test subjects in front of a video screen in a controlled laboratory environment. They then played clips of wind blades with multiple color palettes spinning at different speeds. These included turbines featuring classic white blades, one blade painted black, blades with red-and-white stripes, or blades with a newly designed, biomimetic red-black-yellow pattern.

“By using a touchscreen especially designed for birds, we can use games to explore their behavior and ecology by simulating real-world scenarios, without putting the birds at risk,” explained University of Exeter ecologist and study co-author George Hancock.

In nearly every trial, the birds were far more likely to approach white blades than any of the colored options. However, the test subjects were the most avoidant of the team’s novel, biomimetic striped blades.

“We’ve known for a long time that birds change how they respond to objects with warning colors, but to see such a large effect was remarkable,” Hancock added.

There is no way to completely prevent wind turbines from ever accidentally harming or killing animals. That said, the study’s authors believe a wider industry adoption of evolutionarily inspired color schemes could be an easy, cheap way to make the technology safer. They also suggest that similar approaches be developed for other human-made avian dangers like power lines and building windows.

“If the results are repeated in practical conditions in different countries and with different bird species, it could be a significant change for the entire wind power industry,” said Mappes.

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Concrete is everywhere, and that’s a problem. Manufacturing the essential material accounts for around eight percent of annual global carbon dioxide emissions, making it one of the single biggest contributors to the climate crisis. Researchers are investigating all types of creative solutions to the issue, often by replacing ingredients with more eco-friendly alternatives.

Recent propositions include adding coffee grounds, bacteria, and even recycled diapers into the mix.But engineers at Purdue University in Indiana think the answer can already be found in the natural world. According to a study recently published in the journal Chemistry of Materials, one solution may be swapping out the cement for shellfish.

“Oysters generate a natural cement. They use this material for attaching to each other when building reef structures,” chemist and study co-author Jonathan Wilker explained in a recent university profile.

Wilker has spent years examining the biological properties of oyster cement in hopes of recreating the sturdy adhesive for other applications. They have since learned that the bivalves bind together by producing the inorganic compound calcium carbonate—basically chalk. While calcium carbonate isn’t usually adhesive by itself, oysters also produce a small amount of stickier organic materials like phosphorylated proteins. This allows the shellfish to fuse together, even when saturated in water.

After breaking down the chemical composition of oyster cement, Wilker’s team recreated it in a laboratory. They then collected a bunch of limestone bathroom tiles, since their calcium carbonate is virtually identical to oyster shells. From there, they glued stacks of tiles together using their artificial, biomimetic cement. In nearly every stress test, the tiles broke before the bond itself.

Confident in their faux-oyster cement’s abilities, Wilker and colleagues finally tried combining a polymer from their creation into commercially available concrete mix. In lab tests, their oyster-inspired concrete was 10 times stronger while doubling its compressive strength. On top of all that, it also took less time to cure.

Wilker’s team plans to continue testing their patent-pending recipe. He notes that it’s not simply stronger. It’s even more eco-friendly when compared to most adhesives on the market.

“Most of the adhesives that you see at the hardware store are made of organic compounds, derived from petroleum,” he said. “There is so much more that we can learn from nature.

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There’s a SMILE beaming down from high above Earth. On May 19, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) launched a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana with a payload representing years of international collaboration. Known as the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), the spacecraft will soon begin studying the sun’s immensely powerful solar winds and their relationship with Earth’s atmospheric safeguards.

You wouldn’t be reading this without our magnetosphere. The protective shield generated from deep inside Earth has protected the planet from the sun’s most destructive solar winds for billions of years. Without this barrier, life could never survive on what would be a barren, irradiated rock. But while it’s clear that the magnetosphere is Earth’s natural defense system against cosmic radiation and geomagnetic storms, astronomers still aren’t sure exactly how it works. 

“We are about to witness something we’ve never seen before—Earth’s invisible armor in action,” ESA director general Josef Aschbacher said in a statement.

Over the next month, SMILE will slowly increase its altitude with 11 engine burns before settling into a large elliptical orbit over the North and South Pole. Actual data collection will start in July using the spacecraft’s four tools, including a pair of X-ray and ultraviolet cameras. 

SMILE is the first mission to examine the magnetosphere with X-rays, and the UV equipment will capture the northern and southern lights for up to 45 hours at a time. By combining the two data sources, astronomers hope to gain a better understanding of how the planet is affected by the sun’s constant bombardment of solar winds and frequent coronal mass ejections. The project is planned to last three years.

“The evidence that Smile collects will help us better understand planet Earth and our Solar System as a whole,” explained ESA Smile project scientist Philippe Escoubet. “And the science it uncovers will improve our models of Earth’s magnetic environment, which could ultimately help keep our astronauts and space technologies safe for decades to come.”

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Manuel Gual posted a photo:

Vintage Meccano Workshop: Mechanical Dreams in Brass and Steel

Description:
A detailed visual collection inspired by classic Meccano engineering, captured inside a warm vintage workshop filled with metal strips, brass gears, pulleys, axles, wheels, tools, blueprints, cranes, bridges, clockwork mechanisms, model vehicles and carefully organized construction parts. The series celebrates the beauty of mechanical imagination, precision assembly, old workshop craftsmanship and the nostalgic charm of hands-on model engineering. Each scene evokes the atmosphere of an inventor’s bench, where miniature machines, structural frames and experimental mechanisms come together like a tribute to industrial design, educational toys and timeless creative tinkering. These images have been generated by Artificial Intelligence.

Complex problems require creative solutions, and wildlife veterinarian Nielsen Donato is no stranger to what might seem like out-of-the-box problem solving. Last month, Donato and his team at Vets in Practice in the Philippines fixed temporary wheels onto an Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) that was struggling to walk. 

More recently, they built a contraption to care for a four-year-old African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) that had been run over by a car not once but twice. When the unfortunate reptile was first brought to the clinic, Donato—who is the clinic’s chief surgeon and exotic animal medicine specialist—wasn’t there. 

Over the phone, Donato instructed the team to keep the tortoise’s exposed soft tissue damp by rinsing the shell with saline (salt water). They also tried to stabilize the cracks, by fixing inverted screws onto various parts of the shell with epoxy putty, and then tying rubber bands around the screws.

“At this point, our main concern is to stabilize the condition of the turtle from shock, from the injury. So for the first three weeks, we made sure that there were no flies that laid eggs and turned into maggots,” Donato tells Popular Science. 

They kept the tortoise hydrated, tube-fed it, kept its wound clean, basked it in the sun, and gave it antibiotics and pain medication. 

“And once the tortoise, the sulcata, was more mobile and showing interest in eating on its own, we planned to repair the shell,” he says

According to Donato, the most difficult part for him was lifting the crushed parts of the shell. So he designed a frame for the shell that, with the help of wires, would pull up these shell parts. And the contraption worked.

“When we were twisting the wire, we noticed that we were starting to align the shell and the cracks were becoming more opposed to each other,” he explains. The team sealed the cracks with dental acrylic and asked the turtle’s owner to bring it back after three weeks. By the time the tortoise was back in their clinic, the shell had become more stable. The team removed the brace, wires, screws, and putty, and sent it back home again before its next appointment.

“When it visited us lately, it started moving around more actively and the owners were not worried about its appetite because it was eating again,” Donato reports. 

One thing is for certain—this tortoise went to shell and back again. 

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Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes its controlled detonations. Texas A&M University recently revealed what they say is the world’s largest controlled explosion lab, where researchers can fill a nearly 500-foot metal tube with gas and ignite it in the name of science. They are calling it The Detonation Research Test Facility (DRTF). By precisely measuring what it takes to turn a simple flame into a massive, deadly detonation, researchers hope to make discoveries that could better prepare engineers to prevent gas leaks, and potentially inform ways to build explosion-resistant infrastructure. And all of that will require lots and lots of yeehaw inducing bangs.

Located in Southeast Central Texas, the detonation tunnel is about six feet in diameter and stretches nearly the length of two football fields. Its metal exterior consists of three-quarter-inch steel walls and is covered in earth to muffle the sound—or try to, at least. Inside, the tube holds various sensors that can measure the explosion as it intensifies. By containing all the power within the facility, researchers can study explosions strong enough to level entire buildings. The shockwaves that form in the tunnel can apparently reach speeds of Mach 5—or roughly 3,800 miles per hour.

“The facility enables us to observe, measure and understand one of nature’s most extreme forces in ways that haven’t been scaled before, or even been possible until now,” Texas A&M Engineering professor Dr. Elaine Oran said in a statement. 

Measuring a detonation, from flame to boom 

The idea for the massive detonation tunnel began as an inquiry from the coal mining industry. Industry leaders sought to scientifically determine whether natural gas trapped in a coal mine could explode and detonate. The short answer is yes. It quickly became clear, however, that a facility capable of measuring that would prove useful for a number of other explosion-related questions as well.

To measure an explosion, researchers start by sending an electrical current through a long wire leading into the chamber. Eventually, the current leads to a spark, which creates a flame, not unlike a gunslinger  in a Western striking a match and watching a flame trickle its way to a stick of dynamite. 

When the flame enters the chamber, it begins a violent journey. The chamber is lined with what researchers refer to as an “obstacle course” of metal beams that generate turbulence. As the flame travels, more surface area is created, which in turn causes it to burn faster and stronger.

Eventually, all of that power creates a shockwave in front of the flame. Once the shockwave is strong enough, it pushes forward and creates a second, much larger explosion. That second, earth-shaking boom is the detonation.

Video footage of the process occurring in real time is dramatic, to say the least. Everything is quiet except for a voice in the control room counting down three, two, one. That’s followed by what sounds like a muffled gunshot as the flame enters the tube’s first segment. Visually, the tunnel’s thick metal exterior quivers and soil shakes off it as each succeeding segment ignites. That all leads up to the detonation, which is a significantly larger  boom that shakes the entire facility and sends earth soaring into the air. Seconds later, amid smoky air, the soil can be heard raining back down, like an artillery scene from a war film.

And even though the facility is designed to withstand massive explosion level forces safety, it still leads some to check their heart rates. 

“There’s a lot of nervousness, [and] jitters,” Texas A&M Aerospace engineering student Zachary Wideman said in a video. “Because something on this scale with this type of energy, you can’t help but be nervous.”  

Though the facility’s controlled explosions will likely prove most useful for industrial safety initially, engineers involved believe its scientific findings could have broader appeal. The shockwaves it creates could prove important for future testing of hypersonic plane and space shuttle propulsion. On the more conceptual side, scientists interested in the history of the cosmos could use the tube’s controlled explosions to help build models of supernovas, which undergo a similar physical process, albeit on a much, much larger scale.

The post The world’s largest explosion lab is ready for big booms. And yes, it’s in Texas. appeared first on Popular Science.

The groundbreaking experimental aircraft known as Solar Impulse 2 has met an untimely end. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report, the completely solar-powered plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico during an autonomous test flight on May 4. While there were no injuries or fatalities, the wreck of the Solar Impulse marks an unfortunate end for one of the most impressive and inspirational planes in aviation history.

Solar Impulse was first conceptualized in 2003 by Bertrand Piccard, the grandson of Swiss deep sea pioneer Auguste Piccard and the son of Jacque Piccard, the first person to reach the Mariana Trench. Piccard never intended the vehicle for commercial use, but instead envisioned it as a way to raise awareness for sustainable energy by building the first solar-powered plane capable of circumnavigating the globe. The first iteration, Solar Impulse 1, completed its inaugural test flight in 2009 followed by multiple additional trips over the next few years.

Construction on Solar Impulse 2 began in 2011. Even with a 232-foot wingspan that made it wider than a Boeing 747, the completely carbon-fiber frame ensured the plane only weighed about 5,100 lbs, making it about as heavy as a standard SUV. The 130-cubic-foot, nonpressurized cockpit included oxygen reserves and additional environmental equipment to enable a pilot to travel long distances at a maximum altitude of 39,000 feet. According to sUAS News, a total of 17,248 photovoltaic solar cells offered a peak power output of 66 kW to four electric motors and four lithium-ion batteries weighing nearly 1,400 lbs. Basic autopilot technology also allowed its sole occupant to sleep in 20 minute intervals.

Solar Impulse 2 made history in 2016 as the first fixed-wing, entirely solar-powered plane to circumnavigate the Earth. The feat was accomplished over the course of 16.5 months, with Piccard alternating piloting duties with Foundation co-founder André Borschberg and making 17 stops along the route. Solar Impulse 2 cruised at a ground speed between 31 and 62 mph, relying on the slower pace during evening portions of the trip.

In 2019, the Solar Impulse Foundation announced the sale of Solar Impulse 2 to Skydweller Aero for an undisclosed sum. The Spanish–American company’s plans were very different from the plane’s initial purpose. Instead of focusing on its solar capabilities, Skydweller hoped to pursue its military-related surveillance potentials, which included “carrying radar, electronic optics, telecommunications devices, telephone listening, and interception systems.”

After supplying numerous modifications, Solar Impulse 2 completed its first autonomous flight in Spain in 2023. The first entirely uncrewed, autonomous flight took place at Stennis International Airport near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, the following year. At the time, Skydweller also confirmed its larger goal was to develop and supply a fleet of uncrewed, solar-powered planes capable of nonstop flight at latitudes between Miami (26°N) to Rio de Janeiro (23°S). These near-continuous operations would involve military and commercial contracts, allegedly at a much lower cost than current satellite options. The overhauled flagship aircraft reportedly crashed after losing power while flying over the Gulf of Mexico on May 4.

“We learned through social media about the crash of the Skydweller solar drone,” Piccard and Borschberg wrote in a statement provided to Popular Science. “The Solar Impulse team is saddened by the loss of an important technological flagship.”

Skydweller representatives did not respond to Popular Science at the time of writing. According to the Swiss news outlet SWI, part of Solar Impulse Foundation’s original sales contract with Skydweller stipulated the aircraft would eventually return to Switzerland for installation in the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.

“Very often when we speak of protection of the environment, it’s boring,” Piccard told Popular Science in 2013. “The first airplane [had] the technology of 2007. The second airplane [had] the technology of tomorrow.”

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Summer is quickly approaching, which means more time for summer fun like checking out amusement parks. Millions of people go to amusement parks for the thrill of riding a favorite classic ride or a new roller coaster. And this summer, dozens of new coasters are debuting, such as Falcon’s Flight, the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster located in Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia. 

While roller coasters and amusement rides are generally very safe—the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) says that the chance of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride in the U.S. is about 1 in 15.5 million rides taken—the risk isn’t zero. And when deadly or disabling cases make the headlines, it raises legitimate questions about how to stay safe and have fun. 

“People are injured or killed on amusement rides and devices. That is a harsh reality, especially in the name of fun,” says Brian Avery, a senior lecturer and roller coaster safety expert at the University of Florida. “But generally speaking, your risk or exposure to that is low.”

Here’s what you need to know about roller coasters and amusement rides, how they are assessed for safety, and how to prepare for any trips you plan to take this summer. 

How do roller coasters work?

The first thing to know about rides and coasters is that not all rides are the same. 

“Roller coasters are amusement rides, but all amusement rides are not roller coasters,” says Kathryn Woodcock, a professor of occupational and public health who studies amusement ride safety at Toronto Metropolitan University. 

Roller coasters are defined as a ride with an elevated railway with sharp curves and steep inclines, but even roller coasters have tons of different subtypes based on what the tracks and support structures are made of (namely wooden or steel), how the riders are positioned, and the ride’s speed. 

Beyond coasters, there’s other rides, such as: drop towers, ferris wheels, bumper cars, water rides, and more, all with their own considerations for fun and safety.

But the gist is, according to amusement park ride manufacturer Sunhong, that rides use controlled inputs like motors, hydraulics, pneumatics, or gravity to shape the acceleration, centripetal force, and changes in G-force that makes rides exciting. 

Just existing on the Earth, we experience a G-force of about one G, jumping and landing is about two to four G, and the most intense rides out there, according to Sunhong, hit about six G for a moment. 

“It’s pushing the envelope or it gives the illusion of [riders] being in danger while they’re experiencing an amusement ride device, but in a controlled manner,” adds Avery. 

How safe are roller coasters and rides, really?

The first roller coasters were invented in the late 1800s, says theme park and roller coaster historian Richard Munch. At that time, the only safety in place was a fixed metal bar and a “do not stand up” sign, he adds. “If you followed those words, you would normally return unhurt and many times happy to ride again,” he says.

Roller coasters and amusement rides have changed a lot since those days—including in the 1990s when Avery says there was a “roller coaster arms race” to get faster, taller, and more attractive rides out there for thrill-seeking visitors. But safety comes at every level of a ride, from engineering and manufacturing, to installing and regulating, and of course operating.

From the engineering perspective, Avery says that there are design standards manufacturers operate under, specifically the ASTM F2291-25c. These standards were developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices, which has specific guidelines for everything from bungee jumping to VR rides and water parks. 

“They’re looking at everything from the track, how the footers are sunk into the ground, the forces being exerted, the station being built, the trains that will be on it, the containment system that’s going to be used, the types of harnesses, secondary restraints,” he says. “All those are factored into their design considerations.”

Once a coaster is designed, it’s tested and inspected for months and operational guidelines, policies, and training are developed by the engineers or manufacturer. 

Next comes state inspections, or at least in some states that heavily regulate amusement rides. There isn’t federal government oversight of rides, except in the case of traveling carnival rides, says Amanda Demanda, an injury lawyer based in Florida. 

Regulations vary greatly. Some states, like Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah, don’t have state oversight at all, so take a look at the regulations in the state that you’re visiting before heading out. 

Finally, it comes down to the operators and attendants. “Attendants are the first line of defense,” says Avery. “They’re going to be the ones that are adequately trained or should be. They’re enforcing the rules. They’re going through the checkpoints.” 

While some rides have computer systems that can help alert attendants to potential problems, attendants are in charge of checking restraints, conducting daily maintenance and operation inspections, and dispatch rides. 

They also assess riders to make sure they are an appropriate size and weight for a ride, and if a rider has a disability, ensuring that they can maintain enough postural control to stay safe for the duration of the ride, he says. 

How to stay safe this summer at amusement parks

While the news stories about amusement park incidents demonstrate the worst case scenarios, most of the injuries that occur on rides are soft tissue injuries: sprains, strains, and cuts, according to one 2013 study that looked at pediatric amusement ride-related injuries between 1990 and 2010. The study demonstrated that 70 percent of the incidents occurred in the summer months with more than 20 injuries a day between May and September. 

But these injuries don’t necessarily just happen because the ride itself is unsafe—operation, rider health, and rider behavior all play a factor. 

“The largest theme parks in the world have 20 million visitors per year, each of whom generally experiences multiple rides during their visit,” says Woodock. “The number of serious injuries associated with ride failure is very, very low proportionate to that.” 

Serious injuries, even in people who are unsuited to the ride or acting inadvisably, are still very low, she adds. 

Staying safe at the amusement park is relatively straightforward: Follow the guidelines when it comes to size and health, listen carefully to loading and safety instructions, and trust your gut. In the unlikely case that something does go wrong and you do get hurt, report it to the park and seek medical care. 

If you’re one of the millions of visitors heading to an amusement park this summer, just be attentive, stay hydrated, and, of course, have fun. 

In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

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